University Discontinues Sale of Beer in College Dining Halls

Because of lack of student demand for beer, the serving of beer will be discontinued in all the undergraduate dining halls on January 1, when the present licenses expire, business manager Aldrich Durant '02, announced today.

The sale of beer will continue, however, in the Eliot House night lunch, in the students' club of the Business School, and in the students' club and dining room of the Medical School. The serving of beer in the dining halls of the Business School will be stopped.

The following statement was made by Mr. Durant:

"When the sale of beer was legalized in Massachusetts, Harvard University decided to serve beer in its dining halls, taking out the required licenses for such sale. The required licenses were five in number, of which two were special licenses, costing a total of $2400. a year.

"Under Massachusetts law, beer may be legally sold to persons twenty-one years of age or more, and then only at specially designated tables when any one under twenty-one years of age is present.

"The net result has been that from January 1 to October 31, 1934, only about 27,000 bottles of beer have been sold in all of the University dining halls.

"Consequently, after conferring with the House Masters and many of the student body, it has been decided that so long as the existing laws are in force, after the present licenses expire, only one license will be taken out in Cambridge. This will be for the Night Lunch Room in Eliot House which is open in the evening and which has been doing a large share of the business in beer. At the Business School beer will be served at the Students' Club, but not in the dining halls. At the Medical School the existing license of the Vanderbilt Hall Dining Room will be continued."